Before purchasing the Smart Parts Ion I have never shot a High end electronic marker before. I had started to get tired of my Tippmann 98 custom because of the size, weight, and low rates of fire. One of the things about the Ion i found so appealing was the fact that there are so many upgrades available for it.

-Strengths-
Cost- IMO this is the best marker for the money.

Speed- 17bps is really good for a $170 marker.

Weight - Like i said before i am a tippmann owner. Compared to my 98c this thing is incredibly light.

Stock Barrel- To be honest i was surprised at the quality of the stock barrel. it was much more accurate than i expected even though i still did upgrade to the Full Freak Kit.

Eyes- With the eyes on i have never chopped. This is a feature not commonly found on $170 markers so i was impressed.

-Weaknesses-
Feedneck- the feedneck is a joke. just buy a new feedneck when you buy the gun. I was unable to fit my Halo B into the stock feedneck and i didn't want to sand down my hopper. i recommend the Smart parts q-lock. its a low rise feed neck and keeps your hopper in place.

Trigger- the double finger shape makes walking the trigger more difficult than it should be. Also the trigger does move from side to side but it hasn't bothered me that much.

Conclusion:

I highly recommend this gun. For the money, It's one of the best out there. I have not used the Proto SLG but i would also recommend looking into that gun before you decide to purchase the Ion. The Ion does have more upgrades available though.

If 10 is perfect (there is nothing perfect) and 5 is average then i give the gun an 8.